When an obsessive inventor builds a camera that can actually take men's souls, this unusual device sets in motion events that could bring about a calamity of apocalyptic proportions. Shutter is a sweeping tale of the darkness that lay inside the soul of every man that went West.

Bukeey #1

What Bukeey lacks in skill, he makes up for in bravery. Even though he is young, he thinks he is a great warrior which ends up getting him into a lot of trouble. With his best friend Dez, Bukeey is always looking for danger. Join this hilarious and thrilling adventure for the whole family.

A Highlight of Our Ongoing Webcomic Bukeey

Above is just a peek at this year's Bukeey which has already been written, roughed, and lettered!

If you haven't heard much from us here at Crankleft, it is because we are hard at work on 8-Bit #2, Shutter #2, Jack Burton Adventures #3, and our webcomic featuring the ongoing adventures of Bukeey, (as well as a couple other surprises that will remain such until we are ready to announce them).

This week I would like to talk a little bit about our family-friendly webcomic, Bukeey, (pronounced "Boo-Key"). For those of you unfamiliar, Bukeey is the brainchild of Ben Hodson (the writer) & myself, Chad Bever (the artist), though it would be remiss of me not to mention Brad & Bryant Hodson since they were present during the discussions, which first led to the creation of this character.

The Bukeey webcomic did not start off intended as an all-ages book, and can only be categorized as such in the sense that it can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of his or her age. This book stemmed from the idea that there weren’t enough adventure comics being produced in the industry. Not the average, superhero kind of adventure story, but the kind of story that thrills the imagination, stimulates the mind, and above all entertains us and makes us laugh. The first such comic that comes to mind that I would compare it with would be Jack Kirby's Kamandi.

Although I would hate to compare myself to such a masterwork so early in our development, Bukeey, like Kamandi, takes place in a world very much like our own, but slightly different & fraught with unknown dangers. I hope that Bukeey can instill that same sense of awe & wonder I felt when first reading Kamandi. I would also be inclined to compare Bukeey to the likes of Mark Twain's classics, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Though we are not in that league yet either, Bukeey contains some of those similar elements of humor and real-life, coming-of-age drama combined into a satisfying adventure story. And, though Bukeey contains many of these elements, it would probably be most akin to Bill Patterson's Calvin & Hobbes, were they to enlist in Camp Fire USA. Again, I would not want to draw direct comparisons to Bill Patterson’s brilliant comic strip because it may lead to disappointment. What I am trying to do is broad-stroke paint a better picture for you of what this comic strip is really about. I would be happy enough were Bukeey to just bask in the shadow of those great talents by its completion, but you get the idea of what we're working toward.

So it is a comic strip with the wonder and peril of Kamandi, the adventuresome nature and self-discovery of Tom Sawyer, and the off-kilter humor of Calvin & Hobbes. It also, unlike many traditional comic strips, has continuity. A larger story will continue to unfold as the strip continues, and return readers will be rewarded for their time and patience. You will get to watch relationships grow and change. You will see our Buffalo boy evolve and grow up. There are also dashes of historical reference, moments of survival instruction, and even an impending war. Though that last one will come later, much, much later. Finally, it contains a bit of traditional folkloric elements, the creationist stories we love to hear and share around the campfire. Which brings me to our first completed storyline collected, printed and available for you from the CrankLeft Store. I hope that, if you have not already read it, you will pick up a copy and do so. And if you have read it and liked it, then please share it with your friends. Comments are always welcome as well, so please feel free to drop us a line and let us know what you think about this webcomic, or any of our other projects.

Five thrilling tales of death in the Old West. Set in the rugged American west of the late 19th century, Tales of the Macabre West is filled with tales of black magic, Native American ghosts, demons, death, and redemption.